EMBO Journal: Programmed disassembly of a microtubule-based membrane protrusion network coordinates 3D epithelial morphogenesis in Drosophila

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The developmental biology research group, led by Osamu Shimmi, Professor in Developmental Biology, published a paper in EMBO Journal called "Programmed disassembly of a microtubule-based membrane protrusion network coordinates 3D epithelial morphogenesis in Drosophila". 

To generate complex 3D organs, the shape of each cell needs to change to support the overall development of the tissue. Since these shapes are always changing, it is important to establish a protocol to monitor these changes as they happen in real time. In the developing wing of a fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, there are two layers of cells that are nearly identical and lie opposite each other. This study used live imaging to observe a network of cells that exists between these two layers, called the Interplanar Amida Network (IPAN). When this network loses its cell-to-cell contacts, it affects cell division in both layers, which is necessary for 3D tissue growth. This finding suggests that IPAN contributes to coordinating how tissues develop into 3D structures by changing cell shapes.

Authors from our institute: Vi Ngan Tran, Junior Research Fellow; Dmitri Lubenets, Engineer; Hanna Antson, Junior Research Fellow, Tambet Tõnissoo, Associate Professor; Osamu Shimmi, Professor in Developmental Biology. 

Image: Interplanar Amida Network (IPAN) (amida = ghost leg) Schematic of Interplanar Amida Network (IPAN)

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